Celebs, lawmakers launch animal caucus

It’s not every day that you find a monkey on Capitol Hill.

On Wednesday, Crystal the monkey, featured in “The Hangover,” “Night at the Museum” and 22 other feature films, joined lawmakers, as well as animal and human celebrities, to launch the Caucus for the Humane Bond.

The new caucus, co-chaired by Reps. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) and Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), will address the connections between people and animals, and related medical and ethical issues.

{mosads}Six-time Grammy-winning country artist Naomi Judd and Huffington Post columnist Candy Spelling attended the launch event at the Capitol and lauded the caucus’s mission. Disney blockbuster director Jon Turteltaub spoke via video in praise of the effort.

But Crystal stole the show, at one point climbing on the head of Robin Ganzert, president and CEO of the American Humane Association.

At the event, Judd spoke about the personal connection she feels to the issue of animal rights.

“I used to be head nurse in the ICU, and I know for a fact that there is a fabulous bond that goes on between humans and animals,” she said.

“I studied the brain, and it is a proven fact that humans and animals can benefit each other. Military dogs save between 150 and 170 lives a day from identifying IED’s and bombs,” she continued. “Also, as a court-appointed advocate for abused children, I have seen the difference therapy dogs make in children’s lives.”

Bilirakis told The Hill that he has loved animals all of his life.

The lawmaker also emphasized the influence therapy dogs can have on military veterans, seniors, people with disabilities and sick children.

“I work with veterans and I have seen what these services dogs have done; they have changed the lives of those with PTS [post-traumatic stress] and other trauma-related disorders,” said Bilirakis.

Cuellar and Bilirakis both spoke about the importance of sustaining and strengthening the bond that exists between humans and animals.

“This caucus is devoted to bringing a common-sense, rational dialogue to issues surrounding the physical, emotional, and even medical connections between humans and animals, to make a more humane world for animals, those in our households and agriculture, including children, our families, our military veterans, and our aged,” Bilirakis said.

Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), though, couldn’t resist poking fun at his colleagues in Congress.

When asked what lawmakers could do to strengthen the bond between humans and animals, Young quipped, “if you want to see a bunch of monkeys, just watch Congress.”